Harriet

Harriet doesn’t know why the Royal shows morning movies–there are never more than a few cars in the lot. She wonders every time she passes, though. Until one day she skips work.

It’s cold outside, but the popcorn she buys from a sleepy-looking boy is warm and slick. Harriet slumps into her seat, and just as the lights dim, five Royal employees wander in and scatter themselves through the seats. They and Harriet are the only ones there. Everybody has popcorn. Nobody speaks.

The previews are starting, and Harriet’s understanding the why of morning movies, and what luxury really is.